Peebles Hydro Hotel was the venue for the Tweeddale SNP branch Burns supper last Friday.

It began with a toast to The Haggis from local councillor Stuart Bell, followed by the Selkirk Grace, delivered by Selkirk’s Jim Moody. The toasts to The Immortal Memory and Scotland were given by branch convener Marshall Douglas and Alyn Smith MEP.

In a speech filled with humorous accounts of life in Brussels, Mr Smith recounted the story of how matters in Europe can sometimes be lost in translation, illustrated by an MEP from Normandy telling fellow politicians that “Norman Wisdom” was needed to solve Europe’s problems.

The Toast to The Lassies was given bravely and with due deference by Calum Kerr from Cardrona, in advance of a characteristically robust and entertaining reply from Christine Grahame MSP.

The speeches concluded with A Toast To A Better Scotland by Blair Jenkins, former chief executive of Yes Scotland.

Entertainment for the evening came from The Deleerit Ceilidh Band from Peebles, and performances of Holy Willie’s Prayer by Jim Calder, Tam o’Shanter by Hendry White, and a hilarious response from Doreen Mitchell in the guise of Kate O’ Shanter. The evening was rounded off with a ceilidh.